Going Underground

By Mike Garcia, EnviroscapeLA

When completed, the Manhattan Beach, California project featured more than 1,000 square feet of Pacific Sod (Medallion) yard, adding more than 2,000 pounds of Kelloggs Gromulch soil.

Enviroscape LA installed a lawn with subsurface drip irrigation to maximize water savings in a Manhattan Beach, California residence. Taking eight workers three days to complete, the project illustrates a relatively quick and affordable way to improve irrigation efficiency in an era of continuing watering restrictions.

After they dug trenches using a Honda trencher (three inches deep and 12 inches apart), workers laid down more than 1,500 feet of the subsurface drip irrigation tubing.

Under a tight deadline, the contractor set to work removing the old turf grass and irrigation system and replacing it with a subterranean irrigation system and a new lawn of Pacific Sod Tall Fescue.

Workers stripped off the old turf layer by hand, and then rototilled the earth beneath using a Honda 77RTB Rototiller. After mixing in new soil, they dug a series of trenches, spaced at 12 inches apart and dug at a set three inches deep. Workers used a Honda Trencher #RTV7721 to trench the canals.

After the drip lines were installed and covered, but before the sod was laid, the contractor turned on the valve to make sure the system worked as designed.

The Subterranean Irrigation System

Enviroscape LA chose the Rain Bird XFS Dripline sub-surface drip irrigation system for this project. Workers laid more than 1,500 feet of the subsurface drip irrigation tubing, and attached 200 fittings.

The Rain Bird system is the latest in the company's Xerigation Family. According to the company, the Copper Shield Technology protects the emitter from root intrusion, creating a long-lasting, low maintenance sub-surface drip irrigation system for use under turf grass or shrub and groundcover areas.

Eight workers spent three days completing the project.

It is designed for small, narrow and tight planting areas, as well as areas with tight curves or many switchbacks. The system accepts a number of 17mm barbed insert fittings, including the company's Easy Fit Compression Fittings, and its XF Dripline Barbed Insert Fittings.

Rain Bird's Copper Shield Technology protects the emitter from root intrusion without requiring EPA-approved handling procedures. The low-profile emitter design reduces in-line pressure loss, allowing longer lateral runs, simplifying design and reducing installation time.

Here a worker makes the drip irrigation manifold of 3/4-inch piping.

A variety of emitter flow rates, emitter spacing and coil lengths provide design flexibility for either sub-surface turf grass or sub-surface shrub and groundcover applications. The pressure-compensating emitter design provides a consistent flow over the entire lateral length, ensuring higher uniformity for increased reliability in the pressure range of 8.5 to 60 PSI.

The dual-layered tubing (copper over black) provides resistance to chemicals, algae growth and UV damage. Also, the emitter design resists clogging by use of an extra-wide flow path combined with a self-flushing action.

The first step was for workers to remove the existing lawn by hand and then rototil the area with a Honda Rototiller.

Last Steps

Once the irrigation system was installed and tested to make sure there were no leaks and that all the fittings were working, workers laid down more than 1,000 square feet of sod. They wired in and installed FX luminaire lighting, flowering succulents, blue fescue, dragon tree, echeveria ''Afterglow,'' and Blue fescue.

The homeowner received their first water bill since their old system was torn out. According to the contractor, ''Their bill has been cut in half, due to direct watering to the grass root system. With drip irrigation, there is no waste, not runoff, no misting. The future of landscape irrigation is summed up in one word....DRIP!''